RGU celebrates future female leaders

Robert Gordon University (RGU) is celebrating its commitment to developing its female workforce with the launch of a new publication.

The brochure celebrates the university’s involvement in the Aurora Leadership Development Programme, which aims to develop future women leaders for higher education.

RGU was one of the first universities in the UK to get involved with Aurora and has sponsored 37 members of staff through the programme, which is designed to enable a wide range of women to engage with leadership development at an earlier stage in their careers.

The new publication presents a series of profiles of some of the university’s Aurora participants, reflecting on their experiences of taking part and what they have gained from the programme since its establishment in 2013.

It has been produced by RGU’s Gender Equality Champion and its Women’s Network as a second in a series of brochures planned to celebrate women working at the university.

RGU’s Principal, Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, said: “We are proud to participate in and celebrate Aurora, which combines project work, mentoring and education to help build the skill set and confidence for future women leaders.

“Aurora is a unique programme as it is aimed at the entire female university community so it helps to build networks and encourages collegiality between different groups.

“Gender equality is extremely important to RGU and we are wholly committed to helping women working across the university identify and realise opportunities for personal development and sustained career satisfaction.”

Aurora was launched in 2013 by the Leadership Foundation in Higher Education in response to research which showed that women are under-represented in senior leadership positions internationally.

Louise Clifton, marketing coordinator for the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, adds: “Sharing experiences of Aurora across the sector is critical to maximising the benefits of Aurora. This publication by RGU is a wonderful testament to the stories and experiences that are evolving from the Aurora programme.”